MELBOURNE – Setting goals that are too high can be dangerous. A double-edged sword. Just ask Naomi Osaka, who started 2025 with goals as far away as when she returned to tennis.
“I want to win eight more Grand Slams,” Osaka said in April 2023, halfway through her pregnancy and with her smile back on her face. It was during an interview on Japanese television where she revealed a very high goal: to triple her Grand Slam titles.
The person sitting in that studio in Japan felt different. Motivated by tennis and with the hunger she had lost after becoming the world’s top player over the past five years.
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The two-time Australian Open and US Open champion took 15 months off. First, because she was mentally exhausted and no longer found joy in tennis; then, the journey to motherhood.
Baby Shai was born, and recovery allowed Osaka to return to competition just over three months after giving birth, with her ambitious goal in mind. Caroline Garcia stopped her return at Melbourne Park, where she had won in 2019 and 2021. Ironies of fate, which in 2025 brought her face to face with the French player again.
“My big issue is that I no longer feel like I’m in my body. It’s a strange feeling, missing shots I shouldn’t be missing, hitting the ball softer than I remember doing,” she confessed on her Instagram account in August, after some bittersweet moments.
New year, same draw 🔥💣@AustralianOpen
This is starting to be a classic @naomiosaka 😂— Caroline Garcia (@CaroGarcia) January 9, 2025
Her hopes of saving her comeback year were placed on New York: “Last year (2023) I watched the US Open from the stands and promised myself that this would be the tournament where I would perform better this year. Or in Japan and the Asian tour. That’s where I put all my energy.”
Statements that helps to boost confidence can also lead to disappointment if they’re not backed up by results. In no tournament during the North American swing did Osaka make it past the third round, and she had to miss the Tokyo event due to injury. Her best result came in China, where she reached the fourth round. That was also her last event of the season. The break was interrupted again in Oceania.
In the WTA Auckland, she reached the final. It was her first time making it that far since 2022. Everything seemed in order, but the former world number one only managed one set in the final against Clara Tauson before having to retire due to an abdominal injury. She cried in her chair, and doubts returned to haunt her.
The following day, she confirmed through social media her breakup with rapper Cordae, the father of her daughter. “There’s no bad blood, he’s a great person and an amazing father. Honestly, I’m really happy that our paths crossed because my daughter is my biggest blessing, and I’ve grown a lot thanks to our experiences together.”
Returning after her pregnancy has not been easy for the 27-year-old tennis player. The Australian Open, Osaka’s happy place will be her ultimate test with eight Grand Slams still to win.
